-Caveat Lector-
God and Guns: The Bible's Perspective on Personal Ownership and Use of
Weapons, and Related Matters
(c) 1996, 1997 David C. Treibs, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This page contains verse by verse commentary for Genesis - I Samuel,
detailing what the Bible says about owning and using guns.
Genesis 27:3
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and
go out to the field, and take me [some] venison;
Genesis 27:3 MILITIA
His personal weapons; his father had no qualms with his son being armed.
Genesis 27:40
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it
shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break
his yoke from off thy neck.
Genesis 27:40 MILITIA
Obviously there were no kings or official armies at this time, these were
his own personal weapons.
Genesis 34:25
25. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of
the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his
sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
Genesis 34:25 MILITIA, MASS DESTRUCTION
2 armed men slaughtered all the males of an entire city (even though they
were sore from being circumcised), this is analogous to "assault weapons,"
capable of killing large numbers of people. They _did_ have similarly
potent weapons back them. Both weapons require skill to use, guns require
reloading, aiming, cleaning, etc. They succeeded because they were
unopposed (?) and no one else was armed (?) or at least in a condition to
fight (?). Then again, if my life was threatened and I was sore, I'd put up
a pretty good fight, sore or not.
Deadly weapons of mass destruction, worse than machine guns, because they
never ran out of bullets. They killed all the men in the city, and
presumable at least some of them were armed.
Genesis 40:15 (ADD)
Genesis 40:15
A low level of resistance to evil--asserting innocence and asking for help
from the butler.
Genesis 48:22
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I
took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Genesis 48:22 MILITIA
His weapons, and even his personal army.
Genesis 49:24
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made
strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the
shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Genesis 49:24 MILITIA
His weapons. And God strengthened him to fight. God didn't do the fighting,
they did it with God's help.
Exodus 12:23
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth
the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass
over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your
houses to smite [you].
Exodus 12:23
God's people must utilize God's provisions--for self defense and safety, or
they will suffer.
Exodus 13:18
18 But God led the people about, [through] the way of the wilderness of the
Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of
Egypt.
Exodus 13:18 MILITIA
The children of Israel went up out of Egypt armed. They were not an
organized military force, each individual brought weapons. Where they
obtained them? I don't know, maybe borrowed them from the Egyptians. These
were weapons they later used in warfare, good example of militia: using
personal weapons as part of national defense.
Exodus 15:3
3 The LORD [is] a man of war: the LORD [is] his name.
Exodus 15:9
9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;
my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall
destroy them.
Exodus 15:9
The bad guys had weapons.
Exodus 20:4-5
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any
thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or
that [is] in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD
thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
Exodus 20:4-5 ? Don't remember why I marked this one, maybe because not
supposed to let weapons or guns become gods, to take the place of God, to
wrongly trust them instead of God.
Exodus 20:13
13 Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 21:12
12. He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Exodus 21:14-17
14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with
guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to
death.
16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his
hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to
death.
Exodus 21:29
29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath
been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath
killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall
be put to death.
Exodus 22:2
2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, [there
shall] no blood [be shed] for him.
Exodus 20:13,21:12,14-17,29,22:2
If a thief is caught and killed, that is quite ok. That means the person
who caught him had the means to kill him, probably a weapon. In any event,
the person may or may not have had his life threatened, and yet that
doesn't have to be proved, all that has to be proved is that someone was in
aggressive mode.
Exodus 20:13, 21:12, 21:14-17, 21:29, 22:2 Show God commanding them to not
kill, and then a few verses later telling them to kill. If you didn't
understand the Bible you would say God is contradicting himself, however,
what God forbids is murder: the killing of an innocent person. Criminals or
the wicked are not protected by "thou shalt not kill." In fact, not only
are the guilty and the wicked not protected, they are commanded to be
killed, just the same as the innocent are commanded to be not killed. That
doesn't mean we should go around killing evil people, but it does mean God
hasn't forbidden us from killing them if that is necessary to protect
ourselves. We certainly don't have license to kill except under limited
conditions: defense, war, capitol punishment.
Exodus 32:27
27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man
his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the
camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and
every man his neighbour.
Exodus 32:27 MILITIA
They were to use their own weapons. His refers both to weapon and brother.
Can't have a communal weapon and a personal brother (maybe).
Leviticus 20:2-4
2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever [he be] of the
children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth
[any] of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people
of the land shall stone him with stones.
3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among
his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my
sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man,
when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
Leviticus 20:2-4
See De 13.
We may NOT ignore evil that is done, in this case, it is the murdering of
innocent people, namely babies. We must acknowledge evil and stop it in the
most vehement and irreversible ways, unlike the king who smote the arrows
but not enough to annihilate the enemy.
Leviticus 26:7
7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the
sword.
Leviticus 26:7
WE shall chase the enemy, out feet, our weapons, our sweat. Maybe also we
shall chase the criminals and car jackers when God blesses us, with our
concealed weapons, and blow their slimey brains out.
Numbers 22:23
23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword
drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into
the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Numbers 22:23
Even the angels have personal weaponry.
Numbers 22:29
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there
were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
Numbers 22:29
Ah, the crime of passion! But God doesn't say, good thing you are unarmed,
and turn in your weapons while your at it, he told him to obey God and do
righteousness.
Numbers 22:31
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the
LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed
down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Numbers 25:17
17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
Numbers 25:17
God commanded Israel to smith the Midianites because they wiled Israel into
sinning.
Numbers 31:3
3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the
war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.
Numbers 31:3 MILITIA
They were armed for war--where did they obtain the weapons? from the dead
Egyptians washed up on the sea, maybe they borrowed some from the Egyptians
when spoiling them (while exodusing), and from the other nations they
fought against, perhaps even they had a few hidden with them in Egypt.
After all, they did bring Joseph's bones, which they had kept for hundreds
of years.
Maybe Moses had to say "arm some of yourselves" because so few of them were
armed--but he said "arm...yourselves" as if it was up to them to come up
with the weapons, and if that was just another routine part of the work
necessary to claim the promised land.
Numbers 32:6-15
6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben,
Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from
going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?
8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the
land.
9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they
discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go
into the land which the LORD had given them.
10 And the LORD'S anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,
11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old
and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun:
for they have wholly followed the LORD.
13 And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander
in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil
in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of
sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.
15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the
wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
Numbers 32:6-15 MILITIA
If they all didn't take up weapons and fight to protect their brethren and
secure their property, God was going to wipe them out.
1. These were armed individuals--militia.
God commanded them--they HAD to be armed and fight, no pacifism was
allowed. (God OKs weapons ownership, use, and fighting) They had to defend
the innocent and help their brethren by violent means.
Numbers 32:17
17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel,
until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall
dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
Numbers 32:17 MILITIA
They HAD to be armed; armed individuals, probably with their personal
weapons.
Numbers 32:20
20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed
before the LORD to war,
Numbers 32:20 MILITIA
They HAD to be armed.
Numbers 32:21
21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath
driven out his enemies from before him,
Numbers 32:21 MILITIA
ALL of them had to be armed and had to fight, for their brethren's
sake--not just their own, it wasn't purely self defense--we are responsible
also to fight, being armed, for our brethren, and if we don't (see verses
6-15) God will punish the whole bunch because they will be discouraged that
they aren't being helped and have to fight by themselves and the 2 1/2
tribes can take it easy without fighting and they will all sin and God will
wipe them out.
They had no choice but were required to band together and fight for God's
people.
Numbers 32:22
22 And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return,
and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be
your possession before the LORD.
Numbers 32:22 MILITIA
21 and 22 tells us they had to be armed and fight until the enemies were
driven out and the land subdued, which was never fully accomplished...this
tells us how long they and we should remain armed, as long as their is the
enemy, which is basically always.
Numbers 32:27
27 But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the
LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
Numbers 32:27 MILITIA
They HAD to be armed; they had to fight; probably with their own, personal,
personally acquired weapons--Moses certainly had no weapons to arm them
with, and he was all the gov't there was.
Numbers 32:29
29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of
Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before
the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them
the land of Gilead for a possession:
Numbers 32:29 MILITIA
They had to be armed--I assume they had to provide their own weapons. I
don't think the Egyptian army donated weapons, although I wouldn't be
surprised if some Egs who feared Israel and/or God secretly gave them
weapons, and probably some of the Eg people did the same, but not to the
extent that they had no further needs for weapons.
They HAD to be armed.
Numbers 32:30
30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have
possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 32:30 MILITIA
They HAD to be armed.
Numbers 32:32 32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of
Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan [may be]
ours.
Numbers 32:32 MILITIA They HAD to be armed.
Numbers 35:18
18 Or [if] he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die,
and he die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:18
Doesn't say anything about weapon control, but punish the one who misuses
it. The crime is murder, not ownership of a deadly weapon.
The object is not evil.
The weapon is not evil.
The ownership of the weapon is not evil.
The easy accessibility of the weapon is not evil.
The use of the weapon is not evil.
The violence is not evil.
Therefore:
a. violence is not wrong if it is the right kind;
b. violence of the right kind is good, blessed of God, etc.
Deuteronomy 1:41
41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we
will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.
And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go
up into the hill.
God commanded them to fight, and kill, and destroy. (in this case, they
didn't do it until it was too late) He didn't say, trust me to do it. They
didn't "wait upon the Lord" in the sense that they did nothing, nope, they
did the killing, and God blessed their efforts. And they all used their
personal (?) weapons of war.
This instance was after they had disobeyed and refused to go up and fight,
and when they finally decided to fight, they were out of God's will. Don't
ever go to war unless you are sure God is on your side, or you will be
slaughtered like these folks were.
Everyone girded his weapons of war. His personal weapons.
Deuteronomy 3:18
18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given
you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren
the children of Israel, all [that are] meet for the war.
Deuteronomy 3:18 MILITIA
They HAD to be armed, apparently they also had to train for it to some
extent, because they had to be "meet", unless that refers only to physical
fitness, and this training they likely did on their own, Moses never help
gov't approved training: it was militia style.
Deuteronomy 8:3
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with
manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word]
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deuteronomy 8:3
If you are going to live, it must be by every word, including the using
weapons words, else you might not live, because you are not using the
resources or following the commandments God has given you to the maximum.
Deuteronomy 11:25 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: [for]
the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all
the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Deuteronomy 11:25 MILITIA
No man shall be able to stand before you--warfare and use of weapons
couldn't be evil; and if God is on your side, you will or at least have a
chance to win.
Deuteronomy 13:6-9
6. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or
the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which [is] as thine own soul, entice
thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not
known, thou, nor thy fathers;
7 [Namely], of the gods of the people which [are] round about you, nigh
unto thee, or far off from thee, from the [one] end of the earth even unto
the [other] end of the earth;
8 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall
thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal
him:
9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put
him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Deuteronomy 13:6-9
We have in individual responsibility to deal with evil, although I thought
there was a verse somewhere that said if no one else would do it, we should
do it ourselves. Also, see Leviticus 20:2-4.
Deuteronomy 17:5
5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed
that wicked thing, unto thy gates, [even] that man or that woman, and shalt
stone them with stones, till they die.
Deuteronomy 17:5
Individual responsible for bringing forth and destroying the wicked, but
first must have trial and proof, and then publicly killed by everyone so
everyone can see and fear-- witness kills first. This is balancing to
individual action against the wicked. Actually this
many-involved-with-trial is the usual, the individual is not.
Deuteronomy 19:4
4 And this [is] the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he
may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time
past;
Deuteronomy 19:4 INDIVIDUAL
It was the responsibility of the individual, not the state to provide the
immediate, short-term protection of his life. If he failed, it was his
tough luck, and it was his expected duty to protect himself.
Deuteronomy 19:15
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any
sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the
mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Deuteronomy 19:15 INDIVIDUAL
At least in certain matters 1 person isn't enough for capital action--1
person can't just say they did it and then put them to death or have them
put the death.
Deuteronomy 21:1-8
1. If [one] be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee
to possess it, lying in the field, [and] it be not known who hath slain
him:
2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure
unto the cities which [are] round about him that is slain:
3 And it shall be, [that] the city [which is] next unto the slain man, even
the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought
with, [and] which hath not drawn in the yoke;
4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough
valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's
neck there in the valley:
5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy
God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD;
and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be [tried]:
6 And all the elders of that city, [that are] next unto the slain [man],
shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood,
neither have our eyes seen [it].
8 Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and
lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood
shall be forgiven them.
Deuteronomy 21:1-8
We are responsible to stop the destruction of the innocent and to protect
them, even in those instances that we don't know about! One good way to
protect them is to put away those doing evil and harming people. Another
way is by ensuring they have a means to protect themselves.
Deuteronomy 23:13
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou
wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and
cover that which cometh from thee:
Deuteronomy 23:13 MILITIA, INDIVIDUAL
This was to all of them, not just to the professional, government trained
and armed soldiers. They were to use their personal weapons, and have them
adequately made for the tasks at hand.
Sounds like everyone carries a weapon, on routine travel or business, and
so this is the most convenient, since it is very universally used (?) item,
to attach an instant port-a-potty maker. God doesn't seem flabbergasted
that they would be carrying weapons. He seems to see it as an everyday,
normal thing, that was maybe even required for safety. Everyone has to
poop, so everyone has to carry a weapon.
Deuteronomy 23:14
14 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee,
and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy:
that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
Deuteronomy 23:14
God give the enemy to them so they can destroy and defeat them, but they
have to do the work of defeating and destroying.
Weapons in the camp were not unclean. God is not opposed to them or their
use. This shows us 2 things.
1. God does not hate weapons, or think them evil or unclean.
1a. an extension is their personal ownership is not bad, because all or
most of the weapons were personally owned.
1b. Their use is not bad, because all those owning them also used them.
2. God required weapon ownership and use, which is way beyond making the
point that he doesn't hate them.
Deuteronomy 28:29
29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and
thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and
spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee].
Deuteronomy 28:29
Can't save (defend) self, no one else will be able to and won't either--all
disarmed, apathetic, helpless, destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:30
30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou
shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a
vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Deuteronomy 28:31
31 Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat
thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken away from before thy face,
and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine
enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue [them].
Deuteronomy 28:31
A judgment of God is to be defenseless, ie helpless, to be unable to defend
your capital ($), your property.
Deuteronomy 28:32
32 Thy sons and thy daughters [shall be] given unto another people, and
thine eyes shall look, and fail [with longing] for them all the day long:
and [there shall be] no might in thine hand.
Deuteronomy 28:32
No might in thine hand. To be unable to successfully fight is a judgment,
meaning God has removed one of his blessings--the ability to successfully
fight--meaning the ability to fight is a blessing from God, meaning
(w/despreal ??) weapon ownership, training, and skillful use is also a
blessing from God, meaning pacificism is not of God.
No one to restore stolen goods if forsake God, weapons won't help if God
isn't in the picture.
Deuteronomy 28:33
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou
knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
Deuteronomy 28:33
33 Will be helpless.
Deuteronomy 28:34
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt
see.
Deuteronomy 28:34
34 Go nuts because unable to do anything to stop the wicked.
Deuteronomy 31:8
8 And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee,
he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
But if he doesn't go before you because he is not in what you're doing, you
better be fearful and dismayed to do whatever He's not in.
Deuteronomy 32:25
25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man
and the virgin, the suckling [also] with the man of gray hairs.
Deuteronomy 32:25
Judgment of God is war, death, violence, and so on, they cannot be
eliminated because they are from God. The innoncent are destroyed by
violence, and yet the means is not to eliminate the weapons, but to repent.
Joshua 5:13
13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his
sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art]
thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Joshua 5:13
Another armed angel.
Joshua 7:1
1. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing:
for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was
kindled against the children of Israel.
The innocent always suffer for the sins of other, whether it's Achan or
AIDS or children suffering or whatever.
Joshua 8:18
18 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that [is] in thy
hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched
out the spear that [he had] in his hand toward the city.
Joshua 8:18
His weapon.
Joshua 8:26
26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear,
until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
Joshua 8:26
His weapon and he and the people themselves, not God, killed the enemy.
Joshua 22:20
20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing,
and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not
alone in his iniquity.
Joshua 22:20
Why did I mark this verse? Why was this object evil? Because God told them
to destroy all of it, for one thing. He certainly hasn't told us that about
weapons. Maybe also because every object, or for all practical purposes,
all the objects in this place were associated with wickedness, and God
didn't want them picking up any of it so they would become corrupted. Maybe
also God cursed them and everything associated with them, so that literally
everything in their city had a curse on it and anyone obtaining their stuff
would inherit God's judgement and curse. Additionally, many of those
nations that were to be completely destroyed were heavily into child
sacrifice and other forms of demon worship, and probably much of their
stuff was related to it, or like the Egyptians, had many of the symbols of
their demons and stuff on it, and so much of their stuff was related to or
tied to demon worship or they used it or wore their clothes while doing it
and it's quite possible much of their things had demons attached to them,
or had blood of children on it, either figuratively or literally.
This is one of the few times that an object was considered evil. I don't
know of any instance where a weapon was considered evil.
Joshua 24:12
12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you,
[even] the two kings of the Amorites; [but] not with thy sword, nor with
thy bow.
Joshua 24:12
God can work beyond our means any time he chooses; he goes before us to
make the crooked ways plain--it's not ALL up to us, and he doesn't even
have to use us to accomplish the job if he chooses not to, he can act
decisively without human hands.
Judges 3:2
2 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach
them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;
Judges 3:2 TEACH
To teach them war is why God left the heathen. Apparently, knowing how to
fight is important to God. Remember how they trained--on their own with
their own weapons.
Judges 3:16
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and
he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
Judges 3:16 INDIVIDUAL, GUN CONTROL
Concealed carry.
Assassination.
Law breaking.
Homemade weapons.
A .44 Mag knife. The sucker was about 18" long. That's practically a short
sword. Ehud must have had one heck of a thigh. And Eglon must have been one
heck of a fat dude. No wonder Ehud wanted an 18" long knife.
No way to misinterpret this one, this was his own personal weapon that he
made by himself for himself to kill someone, premeditatedly for the express
purpose of overthrowing an ungodly government by violence and force, and he
also assembled an army, again, not the kings troops, these were ordinary
fellows with whatever weapons they could find and did their stuff, kill and
mayhem and so on. He also carried it concealed. He broke the law in killing
the king. The evil king over them was part of God's judgment, but that did
not stop Ehud from going after him. It wasn't like he was defying God and
trying to escape God's judgment. Actually, he was God's deliverance from
the wicked, ie God's judgment, but I don't think he knew that, he just did
what he could to overthrow the evil dictator. Just like us, crime and an
evil government are judgments from God (maybe only in the sense that they
are a direct result of sin and we are reaping the results of what we have
done) but that doesn't mean we must accept them, but we can reverse the sin
and dampen the effects of the consequences by being righteous, by stopping
the sin, and by protecting the innocent from the fruits of the sin.
Perhaps he had to make a weapon because the oppressors had outlawed
ownership of weapons. This would be the 4th instance of personal weapons
banning, ie gun control.
Each time Israel was disarmed, it was by a tyrant who wanted to oppress
them and wanted them to have no means of recourse or to throw off the
tyranny.
In each instance these oppressors were killed by those they disarmed, and
in some instances, the disarmed themselves in large numbers and fought
against the armies of the oppressors, and maybe, check it out first, they
overthrew their rule and or their government.
Of course, in each case God authorized overthrowing the wicked tyrants.
Judges 3:21-22
21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right
thigh, and thrust it into his belly: 22 And the haft also went in after the
blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the
dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
Judges 3:21-22
Sounds like a quick, smooth, well-practised action--this wasn't the first
time he carried or used a weapon. He thrust that knife in with all the
righteous and just anger he could muster, so forcefully and violently that
he couldn't pull it back out. He wasn't polite or gentle--he dealt with him
as the tyrant he was.
Judges 3:31
31. And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the
Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
Judges 3:31
Shamgar: God delivered Israel by using warriors, he caused the weapons of
war to prosper, he caused the tactics to be successful, Since he's in favor
of it, wars and fighting couldn't be all that bad.
Warriors were a blessing from God.
Judges 4:1
1. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when
Ehud was dead.
Judges 4:1
The enemy was God's judgment.
Judges 4:2
2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that
reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, which dwelt in
Harosheth of the Gentiles.
Judges 4:2
Captivity was God's doing for their sin.
The enemy was God's judgment.
Judges 4:3-4
3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred
chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of
Israel.
4. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at
that time.
Judges 4:3-4
Deborah was a woman of God, all the things she was are from God, noted
below.
Judges 4:6
6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali,
and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go
and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the
children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Judges 4:6
God commanded them to arm themselves and gather and prepare to fight.
They were resisting and preparing to fight against God's judgment.
Judges 4:7
7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of
Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him
into thine hand.
Judges 4:7
God himself would deliver the enemy into their hand, and they were supposed
to slaughter the enemy, with God's help.
God himself will make the enemy available, but they had to do the
slaughtering with their weapons.
Judges 4:9
9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey
that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell
Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to
Kedesh.
Judges 4:9
Jael's work was really God's work. God gave to a person the opportunity to
dispense with an evil ruler. If she had been a pacifist or a mushy
Christian, she probably would have let him go. God didn't make Jael kill
Sisera. She had no signs from heaven that she was allowed to touch the
king. She just knew it was the right thing to do, and she had the
opportunity, so she did it. She certainly didn't interpret Romans 13 as
John MacArthur does.
It was God's way of undoing his judgment and having mercy. Jael didn't know
that. From her perspective, she was just doing the right thing.
Because God delivered him into her hands and killed him using Jael, she was
God tent stake driver--his hands, just like today we are God's body to do
his work.
Judges 4:14
14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD
hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before
thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
Judges 4:14 God's Work.
God did it, using people.
"[T]he LORD is gone up before thee," God prepared the slaughter, was
involved in the war.
"the LORD hath delivered"
Judges 4:15
15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all [his] chariots, and all [his]
host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down
off [his] chariot, and fled away on his feet.
Judges 4:15 God's Work.
God caused them the slaughter the enemy.
Judges 4:16-17
16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth
of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the
sword; [and] there was not a man left.
17. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of
Heber the Kenite: for [there was] peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and
the house of Heber the Kenite.
Judges 4:16-17
God blessed (I think) Jael, even though there was a treaty of sorts between
the two houses. She broke the peace to root out the wickedness. Gosh,
doesn't the NT say something about covenant breakers? Guess covenants or
agreements with the wicked are void.
Judges 4:18
18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord,
turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent,
she covered him with a mantle.
Judges 4:18
She used deceit. What would John MacArthur and the rest of the Romans 13
crowd think? At least God gave his hearty approval, he planned it and
blessed it afterward.
Judges 4:19-20
19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for
I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and
covered him.
20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be,
when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here?
that thou shalt say, No.
Judges 4:19-20
She agreed to do what he said, or at least pretended to go along with it,
but all along knew what she was going to do. Like gun owners pretending to
go along with the UN troops at the door, lying to them saying they have no
guns, and then when their pants are down, wasting them all.
Judges 4:21
21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in
her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples,
and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he
died.
Judges 4:21
She did more than the minimum necessary to kill him, she nailed him to the
ground. She even enjoyed it, jubilantly telling the king what she did to
the turkey.
It was a homemade personal weapon. Adapted from what was available, like a
zip gun or homemade explosives. Other homemade personal weaponry: did Ehud
make the dagger? Saul's army against the Philistines was armed with
homemade or home adapted weaponry.
Judges 4:22-23
22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and
said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And
when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was]
in his temples.
23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children
of Israel.
Judges 4:22-23
Jael's nailing and killing Sisera with a personal weapon was God's doing,
even though he used Jael. And God did the work against the armies of the
enemy, it was the people who did the work.
God's work--but using us.
"God subdued" the enemy but using the weapons and warfare of his
children--just like he can do today.
God being part of the war and weapons and fighting and killing brings up 2
important points:
--if God isn't involved, you'll be sorry, and will have to do what God told
(Ninevah (?) in Nahum 2 and 3 (?)) when they were going to fight without
his help--he said prepare your weapons and make them strong, because you'll
have to do it all by yourself, so you better be really strong. Can't
remember if he also told Israel the same thing at some point.
--warfare, and all that accompanies it--weapons, killing, violence, etc are
not opposed to God's character.
Weapons could not be evil, because God blessed the use and the user of
them--in this case a tent stake--a home made/adapted weapon.
Judges 4:24
24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against
Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Judges 4:24
They didn't stop at the point of ending the imminent threat to their lives,
they wiped out the whole army. Certainly they didn't have to kill all the
soldiers to render them harmless, they could have killed half of them, but
no, they killed all of them. It was an offensive defense, making sure no
one was left to oppress them.
Fighting for liberty against tyranny and oppression: don't give oppression
a chance or tyrants a break (like Saul did for Agag).
Judges 5:1-2
1. Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly
offered themselves.
Judges 5:1-2 COMPARE
Give God the thanks for Jael's nailing and that they successfully
slaughtered the enemy. And that we can slaughter criminals and others who
attack the innocent.
The people willingly offered themselves to free Israel from tyranny--they
offered their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors--they offered
themselves perhaps to God(?) to do the freedom fighting as God's servants,
as Joshua and the children of Israel had done when first entering the
promised land.
"offered themselves:" to do God's work, comparing it to giving sacrifices
to God--a very holy act--tied to the coming and sacrifice of Christ to take
away the sins of the world; if slaughtering bad guys with personally owned
and/or made weapons, breaking the law, etc etc can be compared to
sacrificing to God for sin, which in turn in a picture of Christ to come,
if these were anything but most pleasing to God, it would have been
sacrilege to make the comparison--it is also God's work, and maybe it could
be compared to visiting the widows and fatherless, etc ("pure religion and
undefiled...").
Judges 5:3
3 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, [even] I, will sing unto the
LORD; I will sing [praise] to the LORD God of Israel.
Judges 5:3
Praise God for being able to kill, and for making their killing successful.
Judges 5:4
4 LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field
of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also
dropped water.
Judges 5:4
Who came out of Seir? Is she referring to the armed people of Israel who
fought as if they were God coming forth? Not sure, need to check it out.
Judges 5:6
6. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the
highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
Judges 5:6
Because the people didn't wipe them out. They were terrified by criminals.
And because of 5:8 there was high crime with no defense
Judges: God strengthened Sampson each time to kill the enemy and defend
Israel, from those who were being used by God to punish them for their
sins: God was making it possible for Israel to turn around his punishment
and defend themselves from his judgment, but that won't succeed until God
is ready, so you might could say if your efforts to stop God's judgment
succeeds, it's because God is ready to grant some respite, at least for his
people.
Judges 5:7
7 [The inhabitants of] the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until
that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:7
There was horrible crime until I Deborah decided to do something and arose
against the enemy. Apparently her version of "trusting God" didn't include
doing nothing and praying and "let go and let God."
Judges 5:8
8 They chose new gods; then [was] war in the gates: was there a shield or
spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
Judges 5:8
Esther is another example of when the people suffered under gun control and
needed permission to arm themselves. Saul and the Philistines is another.
The people disobeyed God, were disarmed.
They were wicked, God judged them by disarming them. And when they were
disarmed they were at the mercy of the wicked, and they suffered as a
punishment from God. The question to answer is, if it's God's judgment, is
it right to resist God's judgment, or should we take it on the chin? If
crime is one of God's punishment for sin, maybe we should not resist crime
by fighting. Well, so is abortion and other forms of destruction of the
innocent, including our families, which we are worse than infidels if we
don't provide for them, and I assume that includes safety and security.
See Francis Schaeffer, "He is there and he is not Silent." He mentions
"resisting" God's judgment.
Judges 5:9
9 My heart [is] toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves
willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
Judges 5:9
What did they do? Help arm the people? provide food and provisions? sound
the call for warriors? fight against the enemy?
Judges 5:11
11 [They that are delivered] from the noise of archers in the places of
drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD,
[even] the righteous acts [toward the inhabitants] of his villages in
Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
Judges 5:11
"go down to the gates" is colloquial for being ready to defend themselves,
which is what the people will do after they reherse the righteous acts of
God towards the villages of Israel. When the people encourage themselves by
thinking of how wonderfully God behaves towards the villages of Israel,
they will be encouraged and brave enough to fight the enemy and free
themselves.
"people of the LORD"--God's people will go down to the gate--God's people
can and must fight--it will be an outgrowth of praising God--not something
contrary to his character, but a natural result of praising God. Weapons,
their ownership and use, killing, defense, etc are not contrary to God's
character, on the contrary, they are God's will for his people and his
blessings for his people.
Judges 5:12
12. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and
lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
Judges 5:12
"lead thy captivity captive" is like "the spoiled shall come against the
fortress" which means break off the oppressor--which Deborah the prophetess
said in praising the man who (What did he do?) lead the armies against
Sisera
Judges 5:13
13 Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the
people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
Judges 5:13 MILITIA The Lord is his name that strengthenth the spoiled
against the strong so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
Call upon the little people, armed with Saturday Night Specials to kill
them all, and let God sort them out.
"the lord made me have dominion" she gives God credit (while prophesying,
that meaning this is God's word) for all that happened--Jael's work, the
assassination, the arming, the weapons, the military action, the deceit of
Sisera and his folks and his military intelligence, and so on, the arming
and assembling of the militia (God's people armed, trained, assembled, and
ready to fight).
Judges 5:15-16
15 And the princes of Issachar [were] with Deborah; even Issachar, and also
Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben
[there were] great thoughts of heart.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the
flocks? For the divisions of Reuben [there were] great searchings of heart.
Judges 5:15-16
God commanded them to watch their sheep and do the work necessary to live,
so they weren't doing wickedness, they were fulfilling God's command to
work, but ## they failed to fight for God's people when the need for it was
presented to them ##. There weren't any pillars of smoke in the sky telling
them it was God's will that they fight, they just had to do it because it
was the right thing to do.
Judges 5:17-18
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher
continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18 Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto
the death in the high places of the field.
Judges 5:17-18
They risked their lives to fight for their country, and to protect the
innocent, and to defend those who refused to help them fight the enemy (we
have to do the same, arm and fight even if out bros won't help because they
are too busy doing "God's work.")
Zeb and Moph risked their lives and fought for others who didn't even lift
a finger for their own personal defense, or to help their brethren
Maybe they felt like it wasn't their calling (like those who don't rescue),
or God hadn't called them to fight, but to other things.
Judges 5:19
19 The kings came [and] fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach
by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
Judges 5:19
They fought for principles; they fought to stand against evil and for
righteousness; they fought to defend their country and their countrymen;
they didn't fight just for spoils or honor. What pure-blooded Freedom
Fighters!
Judges 5:20
20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against
Sisera.
Judges 5:20
Everything in the universe was aligned against these guys. They didn't have
a chance, because that's how it is when God fights against you: you might
as well fight against the universe.
Judges 5:23
23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the
inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the
help of the LORD against the mighty.
Judges 5:23
Don't forget, she's a prophet of God speaking the word of God, and she
curses those who didn't fight when the need arose, and who didn't fight
when the innocent were being attacked. Yes, they would have had to
inconvenienced themselves and even risked their lives, and left the work
that God had commanded them to do (evangelizing, maybe?), yet God curses
them for not destroying those who were destroying and oppressing his
people, for not arming themselves and standing together in battle with
God's people to help God's people (which Moses said God would do if the 2
1/2 tribes had stayed on the other side of Jordan and not gone over to help
their brethren fight against the enemies). Guess they didn't Need a special
calling, it was the right thing to do and they should have done it no
matter their feelings or the chances of success or God's "calling."
Judges 5:24
24. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed
shall she be above women in the tent.
Judges 5:24
Blessed Above Women !! She is more blessed than Mary, and all because she
used a home made weapon and slaughtered an evil tyrant, which I'm sure it
was illegal to do (what about lifting your hand to God's anointed, and what
about being subject to the higher powers, and Romans 13 and all that? Since
God blessed her above women, guess he heartily approved) which she did by
breaking the pact between the families, breaking the law in killing the
king.
*** She and others broke laws against owning or using personal weapons, and
against killing tyrants, etc, and God praised them. This means they were
keeping a higher law, which means that owning and using personal weapons is
a God given right that supercedes any man made law to the contrary.
Judges 5:25
25 He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a
lordly dish.
Judges 5:25
She played it to the hilt! She was going to be sure this guy trusted her,
so he would be butter in her hands, and then she could wipe him out!
Judges 5:26
26 She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's
hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when
she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
Judges 5:26
Deborah sang a beautiful lyrical poetic song about using a personal weapon
and killing a king who God had allowed to come to power over Isreal. That
king was the powers that be. Bet John MacArthur doesn't give too many
sermons on this one.
Judges 5:27
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he
fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
Judges 5:27
Ah, how beautifully his slaughter is described by the woman of God! and how
beautifully it is that she armed herself with a deadly weapon to do the
deed!
Judges 5:31
31 So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but [let] them that love him
[be] as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest
forty years.
Judges 5:31
Let all God's people arm themselves and be mighty, and slaughter the
enemies, and by that means God will cause all his enemies to perish, and
will give his people peace and safety and a quiet, peaceable life.
Judges 6:14
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou
shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
Judges 6:14
"this, which is thy might (?)" being God sent him? I think that could be
it, because then Gideon asks how can I, being such a nobody (v. 15) save
Israel, and God answers, because I (God) will be with you (v. 16). I think
it's fair to conclude that Gideon's might is God.
In this case, unlike Jael, God gave Gideon a specific calling to do what he
did. Sometimes God does and sometimes he doesn't.
Judges 6:15-16
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold,
my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt
smite the Midianites as one man.
Judges 6:15-16
God will be with Gideon, and Gideon will do the smiting. Actually, God did
most of it in this case, but he used Gideon.
Yes, God is the one who takes life and who sets up and puts down kings, but
many times he does it through his people. After all, we are his body, we
are his hands. He doesn't have to use us, but often he so chooses.
Judges 6:25
25. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take
thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and
throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove
that [is] by it:
Judges 6:27
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said
unto him: and [so] it was, because he feared his father's household, and
the men of the city, that he could not do [it] by day, that he did [it] by
night.
Judges 6:34-35
34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and
Abiezer was gathered after him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered
after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto
Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
Judges 6:34-35
This was not governmentally organized. It was more like Paul Revere calling
forth all the armed citizens to meet and fight for their country.
Grass-roots army, ie, militia.
They assembled the men who could fight and who could be gathered on a
moment's notice, armed, or at least trained to fight, and if they were
trained, you can bet the Midianites, the government they were under at the
time, didn't provide the training. They had their own private, illegal
military training, with their own, illegal weapons.
He also made sure he had God's help, with the sheep skin (v.17-33). He
wasn't as sure of himself as was Jael, even though the things God commanded
him to do were scriptural, ie cast down their alters (of the pagans) and
cut down their groves, etc.
Judges 7:2
2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that [are] with thee [are] too
many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt
themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Judges 7:2
We need to be sure to give God the credit for victory and not say our own
efforts, our own weapons have saved us.
Judges 7:16
16. And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put
a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the
pitchers.
Judges 7:16
Even though God promised to deliver the enemy, and even said he didn't want
the men to receive the glory, Gideon still strategized and planned and
worked and fought and killed.
They didn't just "leave it in God's hands" or "let go and let God" or
"trust God" or "have faith," ie, do nothing, they did the work with their
own hands and weapons and brains.
Judges 7:18
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye
the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, [The sword] of
the LORD, and of Gideon.
Judges 7:18
This is how it is: The sword of the LORD and our sword! Together!
Judges 7:22
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's
sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled
to Bethshittah in Zererath, [and] to the border of Abelmeholah, unto
Tabbath.
Judges 7:22
I think these guys were mercenaries, or some group somewhere was,
presumably using their own weapons. The bad guys were armed. Nobody crapped
that the Israelites should disarm (disarm the innocent so the bad guys will
somehow also be disarmed), they just went and slaughtered them.
Judges 8:20
20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, [and] slay them. But the
youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he [was] yet a youth.
Judges 8:20
He was armed.
They weren't all blood thirsty savages and cold killers who lived to kill.
They were human people with feelings. They were just like people today, and
conversely, the people today are just like they were. But they seemed to
have a clearer view of self-defense and personal weaponry than we have
today.
Judges 9:54
54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said
unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew
him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Judges 15:11
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and
said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines [are] rulers over us?
what [is] this [that] thou
Judges 15:11
Hey stupid, didn't you ever read Romans chapter 13 and hear John MacArthur
give his sermons about obeying the powers that be no matter how evil those
powers be or what they tell you to do?
Judges 15:11-12
hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I
done unto them. 12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee,
that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said
unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
Judges 15:11-12
If they would have tried to hurt him themselves, he would have been
justified in hurting them to defend himself, but since they didn't hurt
him, and since he wasn't afraid of being tied up in the camp of the enemy,
he did nothing. If he would have been killed by the enemy once delivered to
them, then he might could have justified harming his own brethren to save
himself.
They turned in their own brother for their security. They were so concerned
about protecting themselves that they fought against those who were trying
to deliver them. Samson had to fight both the good guys and the bad guys.
Of course, he didn't want to harm the good guys, since they were the ones
he was working to save. These guys remind me of the Christians who fight
rescuers (that police chief in LA who was in Dobson who arrests pro-lifers
and has them beaten up brutally, Bill Price who champions pro-life doctors
who collect money for abortionists because pro-life activists are running
them out of business). They arrested him and were going to turn him in to
the enemy and to jail.
They are kissing up to evil and wrong to appease them to selfishly save
their hides (or so they hope, but can never be sure) instead of risking
themselves and their fortunes and their sacred honors to do what's right
and to stand against evil and tyranny whatever the cost.
These guys are also reminiscent of those who do things to appease the
enemy, to keep them from getting angry, so they don't come after us, or
make things harder on us, or exercise their power to make our lives more
miserable, (like the Israelites were mad at Moses because when he tried to
free Israel, Pharaoh make life even harder on them) whether it's gun
control (go along with a few "harmless" restrictions to appease them) or
abortion (be nice to them so they don't take away our picketing zones),
etc.
This also reminds me of the "turn in others to the feds" programs (TV
shows) where everyone is conditioned to be a snitch against their
neighbors. The people are conditioned to think they do right by anonymously
turning in people, when the real enemy are the unconstitutional laws and
agencies they betray their neighbors to.
Judges 18:7
7. Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that
[were] therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians,
quiet and secure; and [there was] no magistrate in the land, that might put
[them] to shame in [any] thing; and they [were] far from the Zidonians, and
had no business with [any] man.
Judges 18:7
The quiet and secure people were not ready for war, and so were destroyed.
Judges 18:11
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah
and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
Judges 18:11
This sounds like the gov't provided weapons. Or at least it's not as
unclear as the others.
They were chosen, probably because they could fight, had been
well-trained, probably by themselves or in small, locally organized groups,
or by their families, likely their fathers, brothers, and such, and armed
by the same.
Judges 18:16
16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which
[were] of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
Where those men chosen at the national level or did each tribe pick their
best warriors and send them up to national?
1 Samuel 2:4
4 The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they that stumbled are
girded with strength.
1 Samuel 2:4
God can defeat the superior weapons of the enemy and can reinforce the
inferior weapons of the just. But that does't mean the just sit around and
wait for God to do everything. They engage the enemy and use all the means
at their disposal to fight and win.
1 Samuel 3:13-14
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the
iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he
restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of
Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
1 Samuel 3:13-14
If you don't stop evil when it's in your power to do so, God will judge
you.
It was in Eli's power to stop his sons, but he did not. Others suffered
because of his failure: the women of the congregation were slept with,
spreading immorality, God's sacrifices were demeaned, etc. The judgment may
have been so severe because they were corrupting God's people and turning
them away from serving him.
1 Samuel 7:11
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines,
and smote them, until [they came] under Bethcar.
1 Samuel 7:11
The men of Israel smote the Philistines, but there was no king to run an
army or arm them, they were probably armed and trained on their own, and
went to fight on their own.
1 Samuel 8:12
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over
fifties; and [will set them] to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest,
and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:12
At least some weapons were made by the king.
1 Samuel 12:11
11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and
delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled
safe.
1 Samuel 12:11
God sent Gideon, Beden, Jephthah.
1 Samuel 13:17-19
17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three
companies: one company turned unto the way [that leadeth to] Ophrah, unto
the land of Shual:
18 And another company turned the way [to] Bethhoron: and another company
turned [to] the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim
toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the
Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make [them] swords or spears:
1 Samuel 13:17-19
You know who your enemies are by knowing who fears you being armed.
1 Samuel 13:17
Spoilers came, but no one had weapons, because God was judging them. To be
disarmed is a judgment of God, ie it is evil, to be helpless and
defenseless is a judgment, ie, it is evil.
We can look at the other side of the coin and see, that, if God judges by
disarming and making you vulnerable to the enemy, then God's blessings
would be to be armed and invulnerable, which is pretty much bourne out by
places where God gives the lists of blessings they will enjoy if they serve
him.
1 Samuel 13:20-22
20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every
man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the
forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword
nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and
Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
1 Samuel 13:20-22
Israel was disarmed by their enemies, perhaps because they were oppressing
them and ruling them, also the spoilers didn't fear the people because they
were disarmed. Those who would plunder and harm never fear a defenseless,
disarmed people.
Who are our enemies.
1. Those who take away our ability to make weapons, or 1 step removed,
tightly control, monitor, and restrict it, are our enemies and do it out of
fear that their oppression will be challenged if they don't keep a tight
lid on it
2. Those who take away weapons--if the Israelites had none, they didn't
evaporate, they were confiscated and also attrition, wore out and broke
with no replacements.
Only tyrants do the above, and they do so to maintain their power over the
oppressed, and to keep the oppressed weak, defenseless (this is
intentional) and helpless--of course they also can't defend themselves from
criminals, but that is only a secondary effect.
1 Samuel 13:19
19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the
Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make [them] swords or spears:
1 Samuel 13:19
Gun control. These guys weren't just or even mainly weapon makers, they
were iron workers who had the potential for making weapons.
1 Samuel 13:22
22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword
nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and
Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
1 Samuel 13:22
As usual, the elite, those in power, the rich have weapons--the rest of us
have to make due. At least Saul wasn't depriving the people, he was just as
much a victim as the rest of them. It's just that he was powerful enough to
obtain weapons.
So each person procured for himself by whatever means some fashion of a
weapon.
1 Samuel 14:20
20 And Saul and all the people that [were] with him assembled themselves,
and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his
fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture.
1 Samuel 14:20
"the people" were plain everyday non-soldier folks, they were armed and
preparing to kill the enemy, each by whatever means they could come up
with.
1 Samuel 17:7
7 And the staff of his spear [was] like a weaver's beam; and his spear's
head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went
before him.
1 Samuel 17:7
Specially made, personal weapon.
1 Samuel 17:39
39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he
had not proved [it]. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for
I have not proved [them]. And David put them off him.
1 Samuel 17:39
Saul's personal weaponry.
1 Samuel 17:45
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and
with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD
of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1 Samuel 17:45
He came in the name of the Lord, but he used a weapon, same as Goliath did.
Both were using weapons to accomplish their deeds, even though Goliath was
more heavily armed. Both intended to physically kill the other. Both came
in the name of their gods or God. But the source of strength was the issue:
Goliath trusted in his weapons, David trusted in God. He said the Lord
would deliver him into his hands. Although David did not trust his weapons,
he was skilled and practiced in their use, and had used them successfully
previously. It wasn't just that he "came in the name of the Lord" with any
ole' thing, knowing God would do all the work. David knew he had the proper
weaponry and the necessary skill to do the job, but he trusted God to make
his efforts successful and his weapons. He certainly didn't come with
nothing and simply "trust God.j" If he had had the "faith" of today's
Christians, (ie, I will do nothing and therefore God will have to do it
all) he probably wouldn't have gone out at all, but if he had, he likely
would have been killed or run off.
1 Samuel 17:45
But that's not all he came with, he also brought his weapons, and he
brought the intention and the training and practice and previous experience
to kill the guy. (He also came with clothes and shoes and probably a staff
and food and a knapp sack for the food and a bladder for water, unless he
was good enough to find or know where the water was.) He wasn't even going
to try to witness to him, just kill him. It's just that he focused on what
was his source of strength: God; he wasn't trusting in his weapons, but was
trusting God to use him and his weapons to accomplish God's will.
David was defending God's name and God's people, also see I Sam 17:45, he
was armed with deadly, personal, perhaps even concealed weapons but
emphasized God as his strength.
1 Samuel 17:47
47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and
spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
1 Samuel 17:47
The Lord worked through sword and spear, even though he said he didn't save
with these, he used them. The salvation didn't come through the weapons,
nevertheless, they were used to accomplish the task. When the Israelites
later refused to take up their weapons and their armies to drive out the
remnants of the pagans, God was angry at them and punished them. And God
didn't always kill the enemy just because the Israelites waved a spear at
them. God allowed the enemy to be strong to when the (?) Danites were
driven into the mountain, they had to use resources and strategy and
reinforcements to do the job, and they didn't win over the enemy until they
did so.
1 Samuel 17:53-54
53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines,
and they spoiled their tents.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem;
but he put his armour in his tent.
1 Samuel 17:53-54
Israel spoiled the Phil tents, probably took weapons too, David put
Goliath's armor including weapons in his tent.
Now a good number of Israelites were able to arm themselves (previously the
Philistines had disarmed Israel , but then the spoiled and robbed
Israelites robbed the robbers, and took their weapons off their dead
corpses, and then used those weapons to later kill them. Poetic justice,
eh?) with official military weapons, and they did it just like David--took
their loot for themselves--they didn't give the weapons to the king and
say, Oh king, you must take these and defend us, because we don't have a
right to defend ourselves, and besides, we might fly off the handle in a
fit of rage and abuse our wives if we have these weapons nearby, since they
give us such feelings of power and violence [wrist goes limp].
1 Samuel 18:4
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that [was] upon him, and gave
it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to
his girdle.
1 Samuel 18:4
The weapons were his personal weapons as much as the clothes were his
personal ones, and he gave them away to a peasant dude without permission
from the king, who probably paid for them. It wasn't out of the ordinary
for an ordinary person--David--to have weaponry, not even to have the best
available, because Johnathan had nothing less than the best and most
effective and most dangerous weapons money could buy, being the king's son
and the heir to the throne.
1 Samuel 19:11-16
11. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay
him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save
not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and
escaped.
13 And Michal took an image, and laid [it] in the bed, and put a pillow of
goats' [hair] for his bolster, and covered [it] with a cloth.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He [is] sick.
15 And Saul sent the messengers [again] to see David, saying, Bring him up
to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, [there was] an image in
the bed, with a pillow of goats' [hair] for his bolster.
1 Samuel 19:11-16
Self-defense by escape and deception.
1 Samuel 20:20
20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side [thereof], as though I shot at
a mark.
1 Samuel 20:20
It was nothing at all, to Johnathan, to David, to Saul, to those people
nearby, or to the boy for someone to go out in the field and practice.
That's how they became expert marksman, and that's where all those hundreds
of thousands of people "ready armed for war" learned their skills.
1 Samuel 20:36
36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot.
[And] as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
1 Samuel 21:8
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand
spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king's business required haste.
1 Samuel 21:8
The priest wasn't shocked that he owned personal weapons (even though he
didn't have them with him), it seems made out to be a common thing for a
man to carry weapons while doing ordinary things, and if a man didn't have
any on him, it's made to seem quite ordinary for for him to wish to acquire
them, even though he has no foreseeable need, and no threats to his person,
and no war to go to, and the priest is happy to be able to help him out,
and thinks he has done a good deed, even telling Saul that he did the right
thing.
A holy and honorable man of God helps a man arm himself. He does so with
weapons stored under the ephod (what was that?)--a holy place that would be
desecrated and made unclean with something that was unclean, either simply
because it was a weapon, or because it had been used to shed blood, both of
good guys and bad guys (first it was Goliath's, then it was David's). The
honorable man of God would let an unclean thing pollute God's house or his
holy things (that assumes the ephod was in or near the temple).
I Samuel 21:9
9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou
slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth
behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take [it]: for [there is] no
other save that here. And David said, [There is] none like that; give it
me.
I Samuel 21:9
Even the most awesome and deadly weapons, nobody is shocked if a man has
possession of them, and it's no big deal either to own or carry them.
Neither is it a big deal for the high priest, the man who must keep himself
spotless so he doesn't die in the holy of holies, to handle them, pass them
out, store them in or near the temple.
1 Samuel 22:6
6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with
him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in
his hand, and all his servants [were] standing about him;)
1 Samuel 22:6
His spear.
1 Samuel 25:13
13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they
girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and
there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by
the stuff.
1 Samuel 25:13
All these men were not soldiers, they were common folk who were
disenchanted with their lives, who came after David, and brought their
carry-along gear, which included a weapon (assuming David didn't have
hundreds of weapons on his person).
1 Samuel 26:7
7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay
sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his
bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.
1 Samuel 26:7
His spear.
1 Samuel 26:16
16 This thing [is] not good that thou hast done. [As] the LORD liveth, ye
[are] worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S
anointed. And now see where the king's spear [is], and the cruse of water
that [was] at his bolster.
1 Samuel 26:16
His spear, his pillow, his water cruse.
1 Samuel 26:22
22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the
young men come over and fetch it.
1 Samuel 26:22
His spear.
1 Samuel 31:4-5
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me
through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and
abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore
Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon
his sword, and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:4-5
Their weapons. could be military issued weapons for military action only,
to be returned when completed, but that's never stated. doesn't say.
(c) November 4, 1995, May 31, 1996 David C. Treibs. All rights reserved.
----------------
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the
American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence...From the
hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and
tendencies prove that to insure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle
and pistol are equally indispensable."
-GEORGE WASHINGTON.
"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that
we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference
between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having
them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of
having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety,
or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
-Patrick Henry
"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Congress have no power to
disarm the militia. Their swords and every other terrible implement of the
soldier, are the birthright of an American . . . The unlimited power of the
sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but,
where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."
-Tench Coxe in The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788
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